Half of Britons say monarchy more likeable-survey

Reuters Staff

2 Min Read

LONDON (Reuters) - Half of Britons think the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton has made the monarchy more likeable, a new online survey showed on Friday.

Just two days before the April 29th first wedding anniversary of the now named Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, a poll of more than 2,000 Britons by Opinium Research revealed that one in 10 have forgotten their own anniversaries, but three in five believe the royal marriage has boosted national morale.

The poll also showed that almost double the number of men (14 percent) admitted to forgetting their anniversary compared to women (8 percent) and that Brits, on average, are expecting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to announce their first baby by the beginning of 2013.

“Will and Kate are a national treasure so it’s no surprise to find Brits have embraced them and their wedding boosted the nation’s morale,” Opinium Managing Director of Research James Endersby said in a statement.

Kate Middleton’s reputation and status have rocketed over the past year as three in five Brits (59 percent) believe she has become a role model for British women while just over half (55 percent) think she is now a British icon worldwide.

“As we have found men are more likely to forget their anniversary than women, we hope Prince William remembers to do something special,” Endersby said. “And if the nation is right, by their next anniversary, we may be expecting a royal baby.”